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Low-key Miami Beach itinerary for a shorter trip: walk around looking at cool art deco (a tour is helpful if you're serious about it) and stuff like Española Way. Maybe take an Uber to Vizcaya. Go to Wynwood if you like murals and hipster stuff. Rent a car for the day and drive to Shark Valley at the crack of dawn if you really have to see the Everglades. Miami makes a lot more sense when you realize just how many people are there from Latin America to buy luxury junk for half of what it would cost back home. Great malls! For food, Miami Beach is notable for having outposts of random NYC places. Check that a gratuity isn't already included before you leave a tip. The best Caribbean and South American options are mostly in strip malls far from the beach but good words to see on a menu if you like meat are "parrillada" (Argentine mixed grill) "lechon" (mmm...roast pork), or "bandeja paisa" (ultimate Colombian gut bomb). Spanish food is also very good in Miami relative to the rest of the US. It's been long enough that I don't want to suggest specific places.
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Jan 16, 2023 00:00
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 14:31 |
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The HAL dress code is a lot less strict than it used to be. On formal nights, they would really like men to wear a collared shirt and slacks and women to wear a dress or skirt/slacks and a blouse but technically it's just "no jeans in the main dining room". Go to the Lido if that bothers you.quote:Most evenings smart casual attire is appropriate. Shorts, pool and beachwear, distressed jeans and tank tops are not permitted in table service restaurants. Typical Southeast Alaska summer weather is 55 degrees and rainy and you should plan for this even if the forecast claims it's going to be 70 and sunny the whole time. If nothing else, you'll be thankful for warm clothing when you're in Glacier Bay.
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Apr 21, 2023 05:04
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I did a Galapagos cruise with Ecoventura in 2018 (on a ship that's since been sold) and had a great time. There are fairly strict rules about vessel and group size so don't expect the experience to be much like a normal cruise even if you've sailed on an expedition ship from a line like Seabourn or Lindblad before. Aside from Celebrity, your choices are mostly local operators due to the requirement for vessels to be flagged in Ecuador. All of the cruises will be fairly expensive. The "cheap" option is to book last-minute day trips from town, but this is pretty limited since a lot of the really interesting sites are too remote to be visited in a day. The cruises feature 3-4 activities per day, mostly via a panga (basically a zodiac) but sometimes directly from the ship. I didn't find anything we did to be particularly strenuous. It's all short walks on established trails, snorkeling in protected waters, etc, so the main physical limitation is just being able to do a hike, a snorkel trip, a beach walk and maybe a kayaking trip in a single day. That said, the big issue with a Galapagos cruise is that the seas are pretty rough and the itineraries require the ships to sail pretty fast between islands. If you ever get seasick, you will get seasick here. If so, trust the crew's advise as to when to take Dramamine. Your choices are mostly "north or south" and "wet season or dry season". All the famous wildlife is abundant year-round but you should read up on seasons and islands if there's something specific you want to see. On my northern itinerary in November, we saw mating displays from the birds on Isla Genovesa and sea lion pups on all of the beaches. I do think a smaller ship is the way to go as the group sizes are limited by law and you will be too exhausted to want to do much in the evening anyway.
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Apr 28, 2024 03:00
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slidebite posted:Thanks for this. The north and south itineraries aren't so different that you will feel like you have missed out by seeing only one side of the archipelago. It's probably better just to come back during a different season if 7 days isn't enough. Nobody on our cruise did a back-to-back trip. The cruise line handled our flights from the mainland and transfers from the airport to the ship. The flight stops at both Guayaquil and Quito so you can choose whichever makes more sense to you. I also found the provided packing list to be pretty helpful. Do heed the entry requirements, which are fairly strict regarding outside food, dirt, etc.
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May 1, 2024 01:29
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